The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Achillea plant, botanically known as Achillea millefolium ‘Strawberry Seduction’ and will be referred to hereinafter by its cultivar name, ‘Strawberry Seduction’. The new cultivar of Achillea is an herbaceous perennial grown for landscape use.
‘Strawberry Seduction’ was derived from a breeding program that focused on obtaining Achillea cultivars with a long blooming habit and flower colors that are resistant to fading. ‘Strawberry Seduction’ was selected in the summer of 2001 as a whole plant mutation that arose from repeated selections from seed originally sown of the seed strain Achillea ‘Summer Pastels’ (not patented) in Boskoop, The Netherlands.
‘Strawberry Seduction’ was selected primarily for its sturdy stems, its uniform red flowers and its thick dark green foliage. ‘Summer Pastels’, the parent strain, produces plants with variable plant habits and flowers with variable colors and color-fastness. ‘Strawberry Seduction’ differs from its closest comparison cultivar, Achillea millefolium ‘Paprika’ (not patented), in having sturdier stems, better branching, and shorter stem internodes.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar was first accomplished by basal cuttings in under the direction of the inventor in Lancaster, Pa. in September of 2002. The characteristics of this cultivar have been determined to be stable and are reproduced true to type in successive generations.